IFA 2015: What to expect

What is IFA?

IFA is an annual consumer electronics show held in Berlin. There will be over 1,500 exhibitors on site and an estimated 240,000 visitors expected between 4 – 9 September.

What’s to come?

Some of the world’s most renowned technology companies choose to announce their new products at IFA, and this year is no different. This is what you can expect from the halls of Messe Berlin.

HTC

HTC’s virtual reality headset, Vive, is currently on a world tour, with IFA being one of the stops. The headset has its own website, showcasing its abilities - but whether there will be any announcement of improvements before its consumer release set for the end of 2015, is yet to be seen.

Neither Facebook nor Oculus are exhibiting, so it’s looking like HTC will have run of the place on the VR front – providing Sony don’t do something with Project Morpheus and the PS4, of course.

Huawei

There’s a lot of speculation about a new Huawei device to replace the current Ascend Mate7, with a press event being held on 2 September. The Mate7 featured a massive 6-inch display, a smidge bigger than the Nexus 6’s, so we could be looking at another big smartphone.

LG

LG has announced that it will be launching four 4K OLED tellies at IFA – two curved and two flat. Three of them will support HDR, which LG promises to be “the future of TV”.

But LG hasn’t stopped with the spoilers there. We can also expect a 10.1-inch tablet in the form of the G Pad II, and at just 7.8mm thin, its set to turn a few heads.

Microsoft

It’s unlikely than Microsoft will be announcing any new devices at IFA, as it normally hosts its own events. But, with the advent of Windows 10, we should expect a handful of tech built to work with the new operating system. Eyes are trained on the likes of Acer.

Motorola

We’ve just witnessed a triple-barrel announcement from Motorola, featuring the Moto G, Moto X Play and Moto X Style. But, we’ve got a feeling the Lenovo-owned company isn’t finished just yet.

It’s been a little over a year since we got a hold of Motorola’s first smartwatch, the Moto 360. The 360 was the first to really introduce a good-looking, functional circular display to the wearable market, which has proved very popular since, with other manufacturers jumping on the bandwagon.

It’s thought we may see a sequel to the Moto 360 this year, but the company is keeping its cards close to its chest.

Samsung

Following the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event on 13 August, we’re all set to find out more Samsung’s new smartwatch. The long-rumoured smartwatch has gone by a few different codenames over the past few months, including Gear A and Orbis, however it’s now been confirmed as the Gear S2. Here’s the teaser trailer, which debuted at the New York press event.

Sony

Sony dropped a few hints on Twitter on 25 August, hinting towards a new handset with a potentially improved camera. The tweet reads, ‘Get ready for a smartphone with greater focus’, accompanied by an intentionally blurred image of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate.

We’ll be at the press event on 2 September to bring you all the news as it happens.